A Matter of Trust
by HaldirAragorn
Summary: From the point of view of the narrator, who defects to Handsome Jack after realizing she's been fighting for the wrong side...and that she's got a crush on him. But will Jack ever learn to trust her? Set within the Borderlands 2 game, so SPOILERS. (My first fanfic I've ever dared to publish. Hope you like it.)
1. New Hire

I dodged a bullet, leaping right, and my shield absorbed a couple more before I was able to duck behind cover in the Helios Station docking bay.

"Haha! Come on, kiddo, stop being a coward. You haven't even taken a single shot at me!" I could see Handsome Jack reloading his six-shooter and made a quick and possibly stupid decision. I rushed him, hurdling over the stack of metal boxes he hid behind. I caught him off-guard, as he sideways-flicked the barrel closed and raised his gun in my direction. But I had the momentum, forcefully whacking it out of his hand while sliding in behind him, guns drawn. I wrapped one arm under his, my gun nestled under his chin, while the other arm held a pistol to his stomach. He slowly raised his hands in apparent surrender. "Heh heh. Whoa, cupcake, you got me. I'm kinda impressed, honestly. Now let's have a little parley of sorts, see if we can work out a deal… I would really prefer to come out of this alive, if at all possible."

"I really don't want to kill you, Jack. Quite the op—" He squirmed a bit, and I tightened my arms around him, now able to feel his solid stomach underneath his yellow shirt. It caused my thoughts to wander, picturing briefly what he must look like under all his clothing. "...Hm. Do you...do you work out?"

"People don't usually feel me up while pointing guns at me, kiddo."

"Oh. Right. Sorry about all this, I just can't trust you not to kill me before you hear me out." Mm, he smelled good. It was fairly distracting, a mix of musk and...pine? Juniper? Something like that. I wondered if he'd let me stand near him and just breathe for a few minutes.

"Okay, then what's this all about?" His words snapped me back into reality. "What's **so** important that a bandit like you had to come all this way to tell me face-to-face instead of over the ECHOnet? No wait, pumpkin, I bet I can guess." He said, cocking his head sideways and brushing his cheek against mine. "You've got a crush on me and want to join the good guys now. Am I right? Hm?"

"Well...kinda, yeah." I was a little embarrassed when he put it like that, already pegging my intentions. I'd guessed that's how he got to where he was: by having an innate understanding of people. Or he's just narcissistic. Possibly both?

"Damn, of course I'm right," he said triumphantly, making a fist. "But tell me, my little vault hunter, what makes you think I could ever trust you IF I decided to accept your offer?"

"I could kill you right now, with a twitch of my trigger finger, and everything that Roland and his Raiders want would be accomplished. But I won't. I'm gonna take a chance on you, Jack, and I ask that you take a chance on me." I cautiously let him go, and he turned quickly to face me, suspicious and ready for anything. "I just want to protect you. Think about it: I alone breached your defenses and could've killed you just now, or caught you alive, taken you back to be tortured...who better for a bodyguard? I know all your weaknesses and can help you fix them. I know your enemies' plans. I want to help. I want to protect you, Jack."

He crossed his arms and studied me with his beautiful but mismatched eyes intensely for several moments, considering. I guess he saw no guile on my face, because a smirk appeared on his ridiculously perfect lips and he said, "I like your style, cupcake. Good pitch. I think we may have come to an understanding. I happen to have a few openings on my staff, since you killed a large portion of them getting here."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that…" I interrupted him while putting my guns away.

"I suppose I could use someone with your skills and knowledge." My face lit up. "And since you'll be around me all the time, it's a huge bonus that you're easy on the eyes." I instantly felt my cheeks getting red. He noticed and chuckled. "Oh ho ho, she blushes easily. This is going to be fun. What do they call you?"

"Jill," I said shyly.

"Haha, seriously? Me and you...Like the thingy, the old kids' rhyme?" I nodded. "Heh...Cute. Okay, so first order of business, _Jill_... I'm hungry. With you messing up my freakin' plans all I've had to eat today were some sucky pretzels. You hungry?" I nodded again. "Good. Let's go."

After snatching up his fancy-looking pistol from the deck, he led me up to his office, passing wide-eyed employees along the way. I had to ask: "Are they gawking at you or me?"

"Normally I'd say me, because, heh heh, I'm Handsome Fuckin' Jack, ya see, but I think in this case they're not used to seeing a vault hunter, you know... alive." He glanced in my direction, looking me up and down. "And not in chains. And still carrying weapons. And... me being largely okay with it."

"Oh."

"Don't get me wrong, kiddo, I still don't trust you or anyone else for that matter, but you've got valuable enough intel that I'm willing to put my precious life at risk to get it."

"But...the fact that you are willing to risk it means that you believe there's at least some chance of a reward, which means...that you kinda trust me at least to _some_ extent, right?" I asked, hopeful, with an innocent glow.

He stopped in the hallway in front of the main elevator and stuck an accusatory finger in my face. My eyes grew wide and I froze, not expecting such a harsh response. "Look, pumpkin, I don't know what you want from me. You and your band of _**JACKASSES**_ spent the last few weeks making my life a living hell. Don't expect me to easily forgive that."

"You're right. I'm sorry, Jack." I lowered my head dejectedly.

"Still," he said, noting my eagerness to please and evidently caring for some reason, "I'd say you've got, ohh...twelve percent of my trust." I looked up at him as my face brightened again.

"Well, it's better than 11," I said cheerfully.

He put his hand on my shoulder and chuckled. "You've got spunk, kid. I like that. Let's bump the trust-o-meter up to 12.5 %." I shot him a grin, and he slipped his hand to my other shoulder to turn me to the waiting elevator, gently pushing me inside and following behind me.

It was spacious, decadent, and shiny, with chrome walls and green marble floors. I was afraid to touch anything, worried I'd leave fingerprint smudges. He seemed the type to fuss over that kind of thing. He hit a button on the panel, causing the doors to close as the elevator began its ascent. I stood there awkwardly beside him, sneaking glances at him and hoping he didn't notice. He was tall and lean, with lofty rich brown hair that made me curious how long it took him in the morning to get it looking that luscious, and with a rakish gray stripe on his right temple. His long face was essentially perfect: aquiline nose, intense, calculating blue and green eyes, strong jaw, perfectly arched eyebrows, and as previously mentioned, world-class lips. The only thing was, his face was actually a high-tech mask, paler than the skin around it with a few latches and a hinge on his chin. Everyone knew that though, it was common knowledge. But I'd always wondered what he looked like beneath it. Still, I couldn't picture a more attractive male countenance than if I had drawn it myself, and his arrogant yet witty and sarcastic personality solidified him as the most attractive man I'd ever met. Yet I found myself feeling strangely uncomfortable in his presence. I couldn't be sure if it was because I'd never been so close to something so beautiful, or if it was because he had such a commanding aura.

"Would you stop ogling me, kitten? I mean, I know it's hard, but it's kinda freakin' m— nah, who'm I kidding, you know I like the attention." I blushed again, flustered at having been caught. He laughed at seeing my face flush with color again. "You're too easy," he said, nudging my arm.

"Sorry, you just...you certainly live up to your name. I guess even after seeing all the propaganda posters and stuff around Pandora, I figured they were all, you know, idealized and doctored. When in reality, they really don't do you justice." Boy was I suddenly feeling bold.

He cocked an eyebrow but said nothing, just stared down at me. I assumed he was reading my face for any artifice in my words. Then in a moment of oddly genuine sincerity, he looked me in the eyes and said, "Thanks." The elevator doors slid open, stealing his attention, and when he glanced back at me the honesty in his eyes from a second ago had vanished. He stepped out of the elevator into his massive office, with me trailing behind him, looking around in awe. His enormous desk, carved from a single piece of Aquatorian teakwood, was positioned near a set of double doors, opposite from his private elevator. Further to one side was a sort of anteroom, where he had a computer console, teleportation station, and by the large windows looking down on Pandora was a sitting area consisting of a small leather sofa with a mini bar and coffee table. He plopped himself down in the large lavish yellow chair behind his desk, leaning back as he put his feet up and his hands behind his head. "What do you think, cupcake, you like it?"

"Yeah! Jack, this is awesome! Look at all this cool stuff. Nice painting," I pointed out, motioning to the one of him triumphantly riding a diamond horse as I took a seat in one of the much less comfy looking chairs in front of his desk.

"Oh right, Butt Stallion. Yeah, she's a great horse. Charming personality."

"Yes, if I recall correctly you named her after me…"

"Mm. Sorry pumpkin, too late to change it. She's just finally started to answer to it."

"Haha, okay."

"So!" he said with a clap of his hands, "You want pizza, huh? I want pizza, but, you know, I don't want to assume—"

"Yep, pizza would be great."

"Good, we can munch while we go over your paperwork and crap. Since you're working for me now." I nodded. "Good!" He picked up a phone on his desk. "Hey Meg, would you get me a large pizza ASAP? Yeah, the usual kind. Oh, and Megs?" His eyes flicked up to me. "Fire the art department...yes, the whole department. Thanks, kiddo." He pushed the same button again. "Alright, so...paperwork. Ugh. Why don'tcha slide on over here and we can crank this out together, hey pumpkin?"

I obeyed and pulled my chair around his desk to sit beside him as he pulled out a small stack of blank forms from a drawer. He handed me a pen and got one for himself. He didn't want his secretary or hiring manager to do this for him?

"Okay, here, you fill out this page for me." He handed me a sheet and I leaned in to use the desk to write on, slightly invading his personal bubble in the process while he scribbled on another page. I began to fill out the fields, but noticed an interesting trend in the information requested.

"Blood type? Organ donor? _Next of kin?_ "

"My personal bodyguard is a dangerous job, kiddo. Come on, I pegged you as one of the smart ones. If a little… on the quiet side."

"Yeah, just the way this is all worded makes it sound like I'm not expected to live very long."

He shrugged. "It's not too late to back out, cupcake," he began, pulling out his gun, "but I'm afraid we'd be enemies again, and, heh heh, well, you know how it goes."

"No Jack," I said, gently placing my hand on his arm to quell any worries, "just… have you been through many bodyguards?"

"Well yeah," he replied, holstering his gun again. "You god damned vault hunters kept killing them every time I thought I'd found a good one."

"Sorry…"

"You guys really know how to piss me off, you know. I'll give you that much." I shot him a sympathetic expression before sheepishly turning back to my paperwork. It was several minutes before I realized he wasn't writing anything, and I could suddenly feel his eyes upon me. I slowly glanced up to see him watching me. Quickly, he cleared his throat and averted his eyes. "You, uh, you've got neat handwriting there, kitten." It was obviously a cover, but I played along anyway.

"Thanks," I said, smiling warmly at him and acting thrilled at the compliment. He looked relieved when the door opened just then and a comely woman in a suit jacket and pencil skirt entered carrying a box of pizza. She looked surprised to see someone else there.

"Ah! Meg. Excellent...timing," he said eagerly, the last word under his breath.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know you had company." She seemed to be peering into my soul as she looked me over from head to toe, critiquing my entire being as she placed the pizza box on the fairly sizeable desk.

"Meg, meet my new bodyguard, Jill."

Her eyes widened when she placed the name. "Sir! She's a vault hunter! You can't possibly trust—"

"Thank you, Meg, that'll be all," he said, interrupting her objections.

"But Jack! She's—"

"Damn it Meg, I said **THAT WILL BE ALL**! I know _exactly_ who the fuck she is, now _**get out**_!" He stood over the desk, leaning on his fist and pointing to the door with his other hand, his thick forearms rippling. He was quite intimidating, and caused the secretary to skitter out the door as fast as she could stumble in heels. Even I felt a rush of adrenaline, despite his wrath being directed at someone else.

After the door slammed closed, he took a deep breath and turned back to me, a polite smile on his face. "So, kiddo, pizza?" he offered pleasantly, opening the box and presenting it to me. I nodded and smiled, trying to hide any apprehension I might have felt about his outburst.

He grabbed a piece of pizza and leaned back in his chair again, putting his sneakers up on the desk. They were brown suede with a gold stripe on each side. Kind of casual compared to the somewhat preppiness of the rest of his outfit, I thought. My gaze drifted involuntarily up his legs, looking over his choice of wardrobe. His gun was holstered at his side, the straps wrapped snugly around his right thigh. He wore dark gray pants and jacket, with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. On his left wrist was a silver watch or some such device, and he sported a tattoo wrapping around the other. His brown leather vest covered a long white shirt, almost like a lab coat, and beneath that was a long-sleeved yellow shirt with black ribbed cuffs and collar, lovingly patched in a couple places and still with other small holes visible. It was evidently a favorite that was long past its prime, half-untucked from his belt. I couldn't hide an involuntary eyebrow twitch as I examined him, and my thoughts flashed back to how solid his abs felt while I had my guns pointed at him.

"You're doing it again, kitten," he said, teasing me in a deeper tone. "Pizza. Eat."

"Yes, Jack." I snatched a piece and took a bite, thankful for the distraction.

"Most people who work for me call me 'sir'. What makes you so special that you think you can call me 'Jack'?" he asked, though I could tell he was only messing with me.

"Nothing, I've just always really liked that name. It's manly and feels good on my tongue." I cringed inwardly realizing what I'd just done.

He raised his eyebrows and burst out laughing. "Hahaha, are you—heh heh—are you _flirting_ with me, kitten?"

I began to second-guess my actions, not sure if I'd crossed the line of employer/employee relationships. "Um, well… only if you want me to be, sir…"

"Heh heh, cut it out, kiddo, you've convinced me. It's Jack to you."

"Yes Jack."

"Jeez, are you always this tense? You need to relax! Loosen up a little, eh?" he said, nudging my shoulder with his fist. "Here, we'll finish this crap later. Want a drink? That'll help you relax."

"Sure," I agreed, not sure at all.

"Good. Go have a seat on my cozy little couch over there and I'll make you something. You'll be feeling relaxed in no time, kitten," he said with a hint of suggestive undertones. I did as he said, gingerly placing myself all the way to one edge of the couch. He stood over the bar with his broad back to me, glasses clinking as he mixed us up some drinks. When he finished he brought them over and handed me one, sitting down in the dead center of the small couch. I was sure it was on purpose, since he rested his arm behind me on the backrest. "I made you a margarita. You seem a mix of sour and sweet. It suits you."

"Thanks, they're one of my favorites," I said with a smile. He clinked his glass to mine and took a swig of his cognac. I followed suit and tasted my drink. "Mm, it's good," I said, happily looking him in the eyes as I grinned and took a bigger sip.

"I'm glad you like it, kitten." He seemed genuinely pleased with himself. "I'd offer you some pretzels or something, but it's insanely hard to find any that don't taste like shit on this damned station."

"Are you a pretzel connoisseur or something? You seem to really like pretzels," I said, smirking at him and freely taking another swallow of my margarita.

"Well you know how you get a craving for something specific that just won't be satisfied until you have it? That's what I've been dealing with, pumpkin. For weeks I've wanted some, but if there's one thing the Hyperion brand fails at, it's making a half-decent pretzel. They're just chalky and stale, and it's like they don't even _realize_ pretzels are supposed to have salt."

"I remember you mentioning them the first time you ever called to taunt me on the ECHO."

I thought then would be a good time to give him the small token I'd brought for him from Pandora that I'd had imported in preparation for this mission. "Haha, yeah, I remember…I asked you to just off yourself and save me the trouble. Heh heh... Aww, good times, kitten, good times." I tried to imperceptibly dig for it in my pack, with the intent to pull it out in merry surprise, but Jack suddenly grabbed my wrist and I froze. "Whoa hey kiddo, what's that you've got there," he said suspiciously in a stern tone of voice. I'd made the mistake of forgetting he still didn't trust me.

"I…I planned ahead and brought you a little present," I said innocently. He allowed me to slowly pull out the bag of imported pretzels, and he released my hand as his face lit up once he realized what they were.

"You...you got these for me? You can only get this brand on Dionysus! You had to have gone through a lot of trouble... This is so sweet I could ki— fuck it, I'm gonna…" He yanked me into him and planted his lips to mine, completely catching me off-guard for an initial few seconds until I caught on and gently placed my hand to the side of his face, closing my eyes and falling into the moment. When at last he let go, I opened my eyes to see him looking at me pensively, licking his lips. "Hm," he said as if amused, "so that was surprisingly… great." I beamed at him, pleased with his assessment. "Fifty-one percent, kitten. You've got the majority," he said, tearing open the bag. He crunched on a couple and moaned contentedly, then thought to share and offered me the bag.

"No thanks, they're all for you."

"Come on, have one or I'll think you poisoned them or something."

I laughed a little, and acquiesced. "Mm, these _are_ good."

"I know, right? You're all right, kid. Think I made a good choice not killing you," he said playfully while putting his arm around my shoulders and leaning into me.

"Thanks, Jack. You're too kind," I quipped, playing along while trying to keep my inner thrill at being so close to him under control.

"Don't you forget it, cupcake." He took another drink of his cognac. "You know, you're much more fun after you've had a bit to drink."

"I hear that a lot," I grumbled as I chugged down the rest of my margarita, already noticing its effects on my looseness of speech.

"See? Told ya you just needed to loosen up."

"Yeah, I know. It's just...You're not exactly the most gentle guy, Jack. You're actually pretty intimidating, especially when you're pissed."

"Heh, me? Naw… I can be gentle when I want to be, kitten." He cocked one of his amazing eyebrows at me. "You're really intimidated by me though?"

"Yeah, most of the time."

"How did someone so...timid...ever come to be a vault hunter?"

"You hired me for my abilities, not my personality. Besides, I'm only like that at first. I just haven't gotten a feel for you yet."

"Would it help if I promised to give you fair warning should I ever feel the need to kill you?"

I scrunched up my face in response. "I...guess? It's a start, at least."

He laughed. "You should really work on being more assertive, ya know."

"Oh, okay, here I'll try," I said calmly as I really began to notice the buzzing in my head from the alcohol. "Hey Jack?" I said, leaning my head back into his shoulder so I could see his attractive face better.

"Yeah?"

"Your eyes are pretty. Never could decide between my favorites being blue or green. And your hair is frickin' amazing. But that wasn't what I wanted to say...Oh yeah... Hey Jack, can I kiss you again?"

He chuckled and said, "Why the hell not? I'm a free man again, since you killed my girlfriend."

"Oh yeah, about that…"

"It's okay. You pissed me off pret-ty good for a bit there, but I've come to the conclusion I'm better off without her. She was mostly just using me for her power fantasies and sex anyway. I'm completely over her."

"Good, cuz I was gonna say I'm not sorry about that."

He shot me a surprised look mixed with anger and admiration. "That's a bit out of character for you, isn't it, cupcake?"

"Nope. Though I am sorry for making you a little sad. But yeah, she stood between me and getting what I wanted."

"Which is?" he said, curious.

"Psh. You, of course."

"Hm," was all he said for a minute, considering. "I think we might get along just fine." I smiled wearily at him until he wrapped his other arm around me as well, pushing the both of us over on the couch so he was partly on top of me. I grinned like an idiot.

"Cut it out, kitten. Haven't you ever heard of playing it cool?"

I tried to make a serious face, furrowing my brow and pursing my lips. But he just cracked up at me. "Sorry! I'm just so excited to be here with you...like this...y'know? You're so handsome, Jack."

He just chuckled and shook his head. "You're so drunk, kiddo. One margarita! One freakin' margarita. And I didn't even make it _that_ strong! Okay, no, actually I think I gave you the double shot, now that I think about it..."

"Yeah, I suck at drinking. I'm sorry. Shoulda warned you I didn't eat much today and I'm usually a lightweight anyway."

"Well, we'll see about that," he said, getting up from the couch, only to kneel down and snake his arms beneath me and pull me firmly to him. He stood and I wrapped my arms around his neck, nestling my face into his collar and breathing in his scent again. Juniper. Definitely juniper and not pine. "Since there's no other room prepared for you, I guess you can stay with me tonight, kitten. But just tonight. I need my boundaries, you understand." He carried me, rather effortlessly I might add, to the elevator. His living quarters seemed to only be one floor down, because we weren't in the elevator long. I don't know. Didn't seem like it was long. I couldn't keep my eyes open. Eventually he set me down gently on a big soft bed with silky white sheets.

"Thanks, Jack. You're not intimidating anymore, you're actually pretty sweet," I mumbled, trying to roll over and fall asleep.

"Yeah I know," he said matter-of-factly, pulling me back towards him. "Hey, no guns in the bed, kitten. Boundaries, girl, boundaries!"

"Oh right. Sorry." I began to remove my gun belt, my eyes half-closed. He quickly became impatient at the speed at which I was doing so and took over, removing and carefully placing them both on a chair in the room. I feebly tried to remove my boots until I gave up and he did it for me. He noticed me undoing shirt buttons and took the initiative and began to undress me down to my skivvies. Finally he let me lie down and I tucked my hands under one of the pillows.

"Hey kitten? You still with me?"

"Mm."

It took him a minute to say anything, as if he was deciding whether or not to say it. "Eh, you won't remember this tomorrow anyway… You're actually pretty hot, kitten," he said in almost a whisper as he gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

I had the faintest smirk on my lips as I drifted off to sleep.


	2. The Robot Revolution

I awoke the next morning, and for a second before I turned over I forgot where I was. But then I saw him lying there asleep next to me, and I smiled foolishly when I remembered what he'd last said. He looked beautiful in the simulated morning light, eyes closed and gently breathing, his bare shoulder tantalizingly peeking out from under the covers. I could've watched him all day like that, just visually tracing the curves of his face over and over until it was burned in my memory. But he shifted and opened his eyes, focusing on me as I smiled at him. "Hey pumpkin. Please tell me you're not one of those insanely annoying morning people."

"Nope. I just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep because you're too distractingly gorgeous."

"Not sorry," he mumbled and turned away from me. I snuggled up to him, nestling my face between his shoulder and neck. I wound my arm around his stomach, anxious to get to feel those ab muscles with nothing between them and me. I scooched closer, pressing myself against his body as I played the big spoon. Then I realized something...interesting.

"Jack… are you... naked?"

He flipped on to his back to look me in the eye, tucking his hands behind his head. "Yup. My bed, my rules. Remember that, kitten," he said, lifting his head and smirking at me indignantly. His hair, which caught my eye, was still pristine.

"How, Jack? How can you wake up with perfect hair?" I asked. He giggled, like he had some kind of secret, so I playfully tried to reach up to touch it and see if I could tousle it just a bit. Jack anticipated my plan, though, and grabbed both of my wrists. I kept trying, wiggling my fingers as I attempted to overpower him, though quite unsuccessfully. He seemed to decide enough was enough, and flipped me onto my back, still holding my wrists, pinning me beneath him.

I abandoned all attempts at goofing off when I felt his warm naked skin against mine. I couldn't breathe, but not because he was pressed so tightly against my chest. It was more that I just forgot to…because _he_ in particular was pressed so tightly against my chest. I couldn't move, though I really didn't want to anyway. His eyes burned with a hungry glow as he slowly released my wrists, his fingertips trailing down my arms. I couldn't tear my gaze from his. Now with the use of my hands again, I reached up with both to the back of his head, pulling his face to kissable distance. He let me do as I wanted, and pressed his lips to mine while I tenderly ran my fingers through the sides of his hair, silently praising myself for winning this round. The kiss became more intense, and hands began to wander. When at last he backed off to get some air, I grinned at him and said, "Mm...Jack _does_ feel good on my tongue."

"Mmm. Jack wants more," he said smirking, going back for seconds. His tongue, warm and wet, mingled with mine. Even in the morning he tasted good. Damn, was this man human?

"Jack can have whatever the hell he wants," I said fast and breathlessly, in between kisses.

Could add in another event here.

His villainous grin flooded my view. "You catch on quick, kit—" His watch made a low but insistent beeping sound and he grumbled, rolling over and sitting up. He faced away from me and answered the call. "Yeah Meg, what is it? This _really_ isn't the best time…"

Sir, we have a problem. I'm not really sure how exactly this happened, but the robots seem to have gone rogue.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what do you mean rogue, Meg?"

They appear to be attacking anyone who isn't dancing The Robot, sir.

"What?! That's the stupidest fucking glitch I've ever heard of!"

No sir, it's definitely a thing. We can't seem to get ahold of any of the programmers, what should— The link crackled for a second, and she was cut off.

"Ah fuck. Get dressed, I need your help," Jack said, flipping the covers off both of us. Reaching for my shirt, I tried to stay focused on the problem at hand, but… there he was, walking around his bedroom completely naked. He didn't even turn around before he scolded me. "Not now, kitten…" he purred, pulling on his pants. I hopped to it and threw on my clothes and strapped on my guns, though I ended up looking a bit disheveled. Not that it really mattered just then, as we were on our way to stop a horde of robots. It's not like it was a date or something. Jack, of course, looked perfect as ever.

As I tied my boots, I asked, "So what's the plan?"

"Need to get to Engineering and write some code to shut them down."

"You know how to code?" I asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah, how else do you think I got to where I am?"

"Insanely good looks?"

"Nah, kitten. Well, I'm sure it helped. But no. I cheated."

"Clever _and_ sexy?" I said, standing up all ready to go and drawing my guns. "You border on being _too_ amazing, Jack."

"Not possible, cupcake," he said, opening the door.

A yellow Hyperion loader bot was trudging past playing dubstep music from its speaker, as a couple people screamed and ran away from it. "Dance, human," it said in a monotonous voice. It immediately noticed the open door and turned its attention to us. Instinctively, I yanked Jack away from the door as lasers went whizzing by his head. A couple well-aimed shots to its tiny red robo-eye, and it sparked and went down.

"You okay?" I asked Jack.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Anytime. Which way?"

"Left, to the elevator at the end of the hall. This one...doesn't go to the engineering deck," he said with a sigh, motioning to his private one we used last night. After checking to see if it was clear, I took off down the hallway with him trailing behind me, muttering, "I told them that was a dumbass idea when they were designing this thing, to not have my frickin' private elevator go to every level, but they were all, 'What would the CEO of the company ever need to go to Engineering for?' FOR EXACTLY THIS REASON, FUCKTARDS! Moral of the story: Engineers are bitches, kiddo."

"Got it, Jack," I said, chuckling. We nearly reached the end of the hallway, but it came to a T with the elevator at the intersection. After peeking around both corners, I informed him both hallways were crawling with robots. "Am I allowed to use grenades? Because I could easily lure both groups to the center and just corrode the bastards with a grenade."

"Come on, pumpkin, you want to damage the whole station? Can't we just, like, throw something at the button to get the doors open and make a run for it before they notice?"

"...I guess, but what've we got that's heavy enough and small enough to do it?"

"Grenades?" He smirked at me.

"Fine...but there's no guarantee this'll work. I'm only a good shot with guns. I sorta throw like a girl."

"Alright, let me give it a try then." He grabbed my grenade, wound up, and threw it. It was close, but hit the metal beside the button with a loud clang.

"Engaging enemy," came several robot voices around the corners.

"Shit, give me another one." This time he actually hit the button.

"Niiice," I said, fist-bumping him. When he made his fist explode along with me, I squealed a little inside.

"Eh, I work better under pressure." The doors finally opened. "Ready?" I nodded, and we made a running leap across the hall as bullets flew around us, stumbling into the elevator. He hid off to one side and hit the floor button, as I stood between him and the door, protecting him with my body and shields and laying down some cover fire until at last the doors closed and we could breathe a sigh of relief.

"You're not bad, cupcake."

"Thank you. So which way after we get to the floor?"

"I don't know." He shrugged.

"What?"

"Yeahhh, my elevator doesn't go to Engineering, so _**I**_ don't go to Engineering."

"Great. Alright, then we'll just...wing it. Stay close, Jack," I said, looking him in the eyes.

"Be careful, kitten," he replied softly, leaning in to plant a quick kiss on the side of my forehead.

"Why, Handsome Jack, if you're not careful I might just get the impression that you could be growing fond of me."

I feel like he could've been blushing, had he not been wearing that mask, but I'll never know. All he gave me was a raised eyebrow and half a smirk. The elevator stopped and we hid off to the side until I gave the all-clear.

He followed close behind me, directing me with his best guesses as to which way to go. The offices were mostly dark, but we could see bodies strewn around on the floor, robots and humans alike. "What exactly are we looking for, Jack?"

"There should be a main console somewhere in here that controls all the A.I. used on the station."

I turned a corner, but quickly doubled back, shoving Jack backwards as well. "Do you think maybe it's the one around the corner with the big ass label that says 'Central A.I. Computer'?"

"Yeah, that's it. So what's the problem?"

"There's a Constructor bot guarding it. I frickin' hate those things. Scare the shit outta me."

"Hmm, I'll make a note of that." I shot him an incredulous look. "You know, for the _other_ vault hunters. The ones that still want to kill me."

"Mmhm…"

"So what's the plan?"

"Well, at least it shouldn't be able to fire missiles in these close quarters. Or worse, nukes. I've found the best defense is to stay at range, but we don't have that luxury here. Patience is key, Jack. Keep behind cover, aim for the red eye, and don't shoot if you see its shield come up. It's reflective, and you'd be more likely to shoot yourself or me than do any damage." I gave him a quick run-down of the best tactics while I took out my corrosive Maliwan sniper rifle.

"You know your shit, kiddo. A sniper rifle though? In close quarters?"

"It's my lucky gun, Vera. And the Constructor's weak to corrosion, and this is all I've got of that type. It'll be fine, I'm a quick shot with this gun anyway. Trust me."

"I'm trying," he mumbled.

"Ready?" He nodded, his pistol poised.

I leaned around the corner, quickly taking aim through the scope, and took a deep breath before emptying a clip into its glowing red eye. Jack timed his shots in conjunction with mine, ducking out from cover as I did.

"Activating laser," it said in its deep robotic voice.

"Back!" I shouted, and we simultaneously hid around the corner again, reloading, as the laser blast inundated the other side of the wall.

"That's something you may want to improve. Why do they need to announce their next move, warning their enemies?"

"Engineers, kiddo, what'd I say?"

When the laser stopped, I peeked my head out to fire a few more shots.

"Deploying turret," it said, immediately spawning one next to it. The turret was positioned closer to us, however, allowing it to take several shots before we realized we were exposed. One of them managed to nick Jack's left shoulder, and he recoiled against the wall behind me.

"Jack!" I screamed, turning to face him and rushing to make sure he was okay.

"Fucking _robots_!" he shouted in frustration. "I'll be fine. It's not bad, just kill that asshole turret for me." I paused a moment, an expression of concern embedded on my brow, but the Constructor announcing it was creating loader bots snapped me back into action.

"Stay hidden, Jack." Three careful shots took out the turret, then leaping back I reloaded as the bots spawned. "You've been avenged," I said dramatically.

I'd quickly grown weary of this fight, and decided to chance a grenade to take out the three new robots. Tossing it, I let my shields take some damage while I fired a clip into the Constructor's eye. The grenade exploded, throwing acid on two of the bots, but the third was out of its damage radius. I took cover and reloaded, noted my shields at half power, and hopped back out, guns blazing. I focused my fire on the Constructor, ignoring and absorbing bullets from the other robots, but keeping a sharp eye out to make sure they didn't get in range of Jack. The two had taken considerable damage from the grenade, and I could see the Constructor's circuits smoking and sparking. Several more shots and it blew up into metallic chunks. I reloaded and turned back to the other bots, taking out the two damaged ones with a couple shots. The third was a more powerful WAR-LDR type that had caught me distracted with the other two. The bastard hit me with a rocket as I was aiming through the scope, destroying what was left of my shield and flinging me backward through the air, sending me crashing into a computer on a desk.

"Fuck!" Jack rushed after me, pulling me behind the desk with him instead of exposed on top of it. I coughed and wheezed from having the breath knocked out of me, and I was all covered in cuts and bruises and grime. He grabbed Vera off the floor and took aim. Four successive shots to the robot's eye and it went down, leaving the room unnaturally quiet save for me gasping for air. He propped me against the desk, putting a hand to my cheek. "Are you okay?"

"I'm...alive. Thanks."

"Sexy gun," he said, handing me back my sniper rifle.

"She's my favorite," I said, painfully lifting myself up to stand. "See why I hate those Constructor bots now?"

"Yeah, they are some serious bitches, pumpkin. I designed those babies myself, actually. I'll have to increase production." I sighed in frustration, and he countered with, "Come on cupcake, I just saved your adorable little ass. Why would I go through the trouble if I was gonna pocket this knowledge and kill you later? Would've been easier to have just let you die now. You know, since I killed that last fucker myself anyway," he added with more than a hint of arrogance.

"So wait...does that mean you trust me now?"

"Let's just say...I have no current plans to kill you."

"Coming from you, that's actually kind of sweet." I smiled at him.

"You're welcome, kitten," he replied, flashing me his perfect teeth and navigating past the mechanical wreckage from the fight. I followed close behind, leaning over his shoulder as he pulled up the command prompt. He typed a bunch of strange lines of code into the console as I watched him, in awe. His fingers tapped away as the look of determination on his face drew me in. "There." He hit Enter as he ran his script and turned to me, still in amazement.

"I've never been more attracted to you than I am right now," I blurted out. He grinned ferociously and pulled me tightly against him, pressing me against the edge of the computer console. His watch beeped, demanding his attention.

"Fuckin' buzzkill, Meg," he grumbled, pressing the button.

Sir! Are you alive? Comms just came back up and I've been trying to reach you forever!

"Meg! What's up with the robots, can you tell?"

Yes sir, they seem to have all been deactivated. Where are you?

"Engineering."

...Is the vault hunter with you?

"Yeah, Meg. Don't start. I need you to get the programmers in here and fix this frickin' mess. I'm gonna go patch myself up. Probably won't be in today."

Yes, sir.

He finished his call and turned to me again. "Come on, kitten. Let's get back to my place."


	3. My Bed, My Rules

Jack opened the door to his apartment, waiting for me to enter. He followed me in, heading to the bathroom to get some stuff for his shoulder and my cuts. I sat down on his bed and began to remove my guns and some of my ratty, torn clothes to make it easier to bandage my wounds. He returned with some first aid materials and sat down next to me. He, too, began to remove clothing, wincing as he moved his left arm.

"Here, let me help," I offered. He lowered his hands and let me take over. I carefully took off his gray jacket, unlatched and removed his vest, then worked at unbuttoning his white shirt. I noticed him watching me lustfully. "Four layers, Jack? How are you not always hot?"

"I _am_ always hot," he said with a wink. I rolled my eyes, realizing I'd set him up for that one. As I shed him of his yellow Hyperion shirt, I saw it was stained with blood. "Aw man, I hope that comes out," he grumbled.

"I know a trick. I think I can save it."

When at last he was free of his many top layers, I surveyed his sinewy shoulder. "It doesn't look too bad. The bullet looks like it just hit muscle tissue and went right through."

"Still hurts like a sumbitch, though."

"I bet. This will probably make it hurt more, unfortunately," I said, tearing open some antiseptic wipes. Gently, I wiped all around the wound and cleaned up the blood. He grimaced at the stinging. "I'm sorry. Here," I said before blowing on it as I readied the bandage. I pressed it on and held it there a moment while I glanced over him, sitting there shirtless. Oh was he perfect.

"Thanks, kitten. You've got a soft touch for a badass."

"Heh, thank you."

"My turn?"

"If you wouldn't mind."

"I actually don't," he said cheerfully, and peeled back the last layer of my top. "Eww…" he said, looking at the ribs on my right side. "This is all kinds of nasty colors. Does this hurt?" he asked, gently poking my skin.

I inhaled sharply. "Not as bad as it looks like it should, but yeah."

"'Kay. I'll be careful, kitten," he said, bidding me lie down. He slowly and lightly began dabbing at the mostly small cuts all over my body from the explosion earlier, and putting bandages on the ones that needed it. He did a really good job, never even giving me cause to flinch. It was incredibly soothing, in fact, receiving that much warmhearted attention from him. Finally, he leaned over me and whispered, "All done."

"You were right, Jack. You really _can_ be gentle when you want to."

"Told ya," he said with a pleased grin, running his fingertips along my stomach. He watched me, waiting for my reaction. I faintly smiled and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, he kissed me like he just couldn't wait any longer. But then suddenly he pulled back, with a question burning in his eyes. "Why...why did you _really_ come to me? What made you decide to switch sides?"

I took a deep breath and began, "Well, like you guessed at the start, I developed...feelings...for you. Not just from you ragging on me over the ECHO and making me have to stifle my laughter before I was found out... I researched you. You know, 'know thine enemy' and all that. But instead of learning how to destroy you, I learned how you became who you are. I read how time after time your friends betrayed you, even when all you ever did was look out for your team, and what Lilith did to you… It's no wonder you don't trust me. I can't blame you for that. And I quickly came to realize that I was fighting for the wrong side. You're brilliant, clever, fucking gorgeous, and hilariously funny and I _had_ to be near you, Jack."

His brow was knitted, and he stared at the floor, not saying anything. Eventually I sat up, hoping for a response, resting my hand on the side of his face. He looked at me, full of longing and sadness, and my heart broke for him. Eventually he pulled me tightly to him, wrapping his arms around me and burying his face in my neck. I stroked his hair and gladly accepted the unexpected show of emotion. He made no sounds, said nothing, just held me for a long while. Finally he cleared his throat, let me go enough so he could see me, and said, "So… you know then? About my face? ... I… I'm not perfect." It looked like it took a lot for him to admit that.

"To me you are."

"That's sweet, kitten, but you haven't seen it."

"But I found pictures of you from before. You looked the same. All you did was make it so your face was back to normal after that bitch messed it up. Jack… it's okay."

"Why do I keep getting the feeling you're too good to be true?"

"Um, well, you kinda have trust issues, sweetheart."

He sighed. "Most people would've gotten punched in the face for that, kiddo."

"Ooh, I get special treatment, do I, Jack?"

"Don't push it, pumpkin… but, yeah. I actually think I like you." That made me smile like an idiot.

"I _know_ I like you," I gushed.

"Oh kitten, cut it out, you're gonna make me dry heave."

"Yeahhh… You say that, Jack, but I've come to realize you only call me 'kitten' when you're thinking about sex."

"What?! Nuh uh, kit— hrm…" he grumbled, recognizing the truth.

"Which, as it turns out, seems to be quite a bit. But, you know, who could blame you, since you yourself think I'm 'pretty hot'," I teased him.

"Damn," he muttered, "I'd really counted on you not remembering that bit."

"Yeah, well, guess there's only one thing left to do, Jack…"

He perked an eyebrow, catching my meaning. I moved in to kiss him, pressing myself against his skin. He eagerly did the same, pulling me further onto the bed as I tried to wrestle free from my pants, my pulse pounding in my ears. He laid himself half on top of me, running his hands all over my skin. His belt buckle jammed into my hip, giving me all the more reason to get rid of it. I began to unfasten his pants, suddenly irritated with the pieces of cloth still between us. Before I could even begin to remove them once they were undone, his wrist beeped. I should've expected as much.

"God damn it… what, does she have a heart rate monitor on that or something? She always knows," I scowled in frustration.

"Actually yeah it does, in case I need a medic or something. And I think she sees you as a threat, kitten. As in, she's got a thing for me, too." He didn't move off of me, just brought the device to his face and hit the button. "Meg, if the world is not ending, I need you to go away," he began, low and menacing. I couldn't help myself. I stuck my hand down his pants and made him groan. "Like, **right fucking now**."

Oh, it's...I'm sor—yes sir. Ahem. Goodbye s— he hit the button again and cut her off.

"Oh, you're evil…" he said turning his attention fully back to me, entangling his fingers in my shoulder-length hair and tugging into the bed so I couldn't move my head. I shot him a devious grin, and he tried to kiss it off my face.

"Can we pause a moment and have a conversation on how ridiculously perfect your lips are?"

"Nope. Well, maybe later."

His pants had grown tight, begging to be removed. He had to give me a hand, as they were usually pretty slim-fitting anyway, and were made worse now. When he was at last naked again, I flipped him onto his back so I could see him better. He seemed to like being naked. Fine by me. In a show of ostentation, he stuck both hands behind his head, a smug little smirk plastered on his mouth. My eyes widened at the sight of him, at attention, lying there in all his flawlessness. I ran my feverish fingers all over him, wanting to experience every inch of his body. He made no moves to touch me in return, escalating my frustration until I figured he was waiting for something, when I realized I still had my underwear on. I began to unhook my lacy bra, trying to be as sexy as possible, but who really can ever accomplish that? I flung it on to the floor, his smirk widening into a smile. He reached up to briefly cup me in his large hands, causing me to inhale sharply at the new sensation, the nipples tightening up. He slid his hands instead around to my back and flipped me quickly back beneath him, giving my boobs cause to jiggle.

"My bed, my rules, kitten," he reminded me. "I'm on top."

"Whatever you want, Jack."

He grinned. "Can I keep you?"

"Oh yeah." He kissed me again, pressing himself between my legs, then seeming annoyed when he remembered I still had my underwear on. He tore them off unceremoniously, grinding his warm hard body against mine, as he licked, sucked, and nibbled on my breasts. My fingernails dug into his lower back, urging him on.

"Do you want me?" he asked, his voice deep and husky. I nodded breathlessly. "Say it," he commanded me.

"I want you, Jack."

He kissed me again with those luscious lips of his and gave me what I asked for. I gasped for breath as he started his thrusts, slowly at first, then picking up speed. He seemed to be enjoying himself as much as I was, kissing and licking at my neck and whatever else his mouth could reach. I could feel myself almost there, but it was as if he knew it and eased off. "Come on, don't be a tease," I said in desperate frustration.

"Not 'til you beg me, kitten."

"And you call _me_ evil…" He shrugged and stopped everything and made like he was getting off me. I tightened my legs around him, apologizing, "No, no Jack, please! Don't stop. Please, Jack. I need you. Please."

His expression softened and he continued. I ran my fingers through his waves of glorious chestnut hair, my chest swelling with each push. I cried his name as I began to lose my breath and my eyes went wide. I could tell he was close, too, from the change in rhythm of his own breathing. Then every muscle in his body tensed as he sucked in air, followed closely by me doing the same, my entire body shuddering uncontrollably from the intensity. I threw my head back into the sheets, digging my fingers into his broad shoulders and pulling his head down to my heaving chest. He didn't breathe for a moment, then let out a long contented sigh, laying his head on my shoulder as his frame went lax on top of me. Once I'd caught my breath again, I tightened my grip on him, rolling him off of me just enough to cradle him in my arms. We lay like that for several minutes, wrapped up in each other, until he finally spoke. "Stay with me, kitten. Tonight."

"What about your boundaries?"

"Fuck my boundaries. I want you with me."

I smiled and kissed his forehead. "You've got me, Jack. For as long as you'll have me."

"We'll see, kiddo," he said with a sad smile.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh come now. You've done your research. They always betray me in the end," he said, as if resigned to it.

"Jack… I'm not like them. I'm with you, to whatever end."

"Prove it, pumpkin," he said, in one of his more confident tones, like he'd just thought of something.

"...How?"

"Did you give your stupid-ass Crimson Raider 'friends' any indication you were coming to me like you did? Did they know you had a crush on me?"

"No. I imagine they assume you killed me when I disappeared."

"Then I just came up with yet another amazing idea, kiddo. Hahaha, this is a great one, even for me," he said with excitement and enthusiasm, sitting up in bed.

"What's your idea?"

"How are you at acting?"

"Pretty good when I have to be. Why?"

He took my hands to pull me up with him, but didn't let go after I'd sat up. "Do you trust me?"

"Are you going to tell me this plan of yours, Jack? Or do I have to beg for that, too?"

"Do you...trust me?" He was very serious, still holding my hands. I met his gaze, looking him square in the eyes.

I carefully considered my answer. "Yes."

"Good. That'll make it easier."

"Make what easier?"

"I'm going to need to torture you, cupcake," he said, devilishly slow and deep, still holding my hands within his.

I recoiled from him, nervously covering myself with the sheets. "Why, Jack? What'd I do? I thought we—"

"It's okay, kitten," he reassured me, pulling me to him. "I won't hurt you. It won't be for real. You're just gonna help me shake them up a bit. Puts 'em all off-kilter, and then they can't fight for shit. I mean, not like they ever can anyway, the sonsofbitches." His wrist beeped again, instigating a loud growl from his throat. He slammed his finger into the button.

"MEEEGG! I SAID—"

I know sir: Not to bother you unless the world was ending, sir, but I think this qualifies.

"What then?!"

The Crimson Raiders are attempting to storm Control Core Angel.

He growled again, its inflection rising into a yell. "I'll be right there." He hit the button again and told me to get dressed. He anxiously threw himself together, not saying a whole lot. He appeared to be lost in thought, pacing as he pulled his clothes back on. He impatiently waited for me to finish. "No, don't bother straightening anything. Don't tuck in your shirt. And leave your weapons. I want you to look like I've been smacking you around."

"The cuts and bruises help with that."

"Exactly, pumpkin. Here, may I?" he asked, grasping the side of my shirt where the nastiest bruises were.

"Yeah, I guess. It's kinda ruined already anyway." He ripped a hole big enough to show the purple skin on my ribs, and led me by the hand into his private elevator. After pressing the button, he turned back to me and messed up my hair, unbuttoned my shirt a bit more, and began tearing off any visible bandages. When the doors opened, he walked straight to his comms station.

"Stand...here," he said, positioning me just out of view. "Give me your hands." I did as he said, offering them up freely. He tied them together with his watch chain, though only tight enough to make it believable.

He turned back to the console and hit the comms switch. "Consider this your final warning—no, consider this MY final warning. Turn around and I promise I'll make it quick for you. But I swear, you take one more step, every soul back in Sanctuary will die staring at their own lungs as I rip them from their chests!" They seemed to have really pissed him off this time around. He watched as the vault hunters fought off robots with the air support from Brick's slabs, growing more angry and fearsome with every little victory of theirs. "Do you _really_ think I'd protect Angel with nothing but a couple bots and some flimsy turrets? See, you're not at the bunker right now. The bunker isn't a place... THAT'S the bunker. Meet the BNK-3R, the greatest defense bot ever built. I designed her myself. Now do me a favor and die." He was quite frustrated, flipping switches, screaming insults and commands… For a second I wished I could be planetside to fight for him, instead of acting helpless up here on Helios.

The vault hunters somehow managed to take down the flying bunker, despite its impregnable appearance. As they made their way into the central core, he began to look frenzied and violent. "Hey, asswipes, look who I found skulking around my cargo bay just yesterday." He roughly yanked me into view, holding me by my hair with one hand and around the neck with the other. I made some pitiful whimpers as he put me on display. "Say hello, cupcake."

"...Hello," I cried, my voice cracking.

Jack, you better not have hurt her! Come on down here, let's talk about this man to man. Roland came over the ECHO, bargaining on my behalf.

"What I've done to her is _nothing_ compared to what I'm **_going_** to do to her, idiot," he snarled, moving his arm from my neck to firmly wrap around my chest. "This one's pretty cute for a Pandoran bandit. Doesn't talk much either. Might find some other uses for her as well, since she's _soo_ good at following directions." He spoke huskily into my ear, making the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and licked the side of my face to hammer home his taunt. I turned my head away from him in apparent disgust. I hoped my acting was good enough to not betray my true feelings about my current situation, because I was in no way disgusted.

Don't you touch her, you sick fuck! I will personally come up there and tear your arms off and shove them down your throat! Lilith piped up. Jack narrowed his eyes at her through the viewscreen and wrapped his other arm across my stomach in defiance. I squirmed and tried to shove him away, but he had a good grip on me.

"I don't think they approve of us, pumpkin," he said, brushing his lips across my cheekbone.

Ugh, Jack, I should've killed you when I had the chance! Don't think I'll make the same mistake twice, you crazy jackass. By now they had reached the central core. Jack released me and pushed me aside, but still had hold of my arm.

"What the hell are you _doing_ , Angel?!" It had quickly become obvious she was helping them to destroy her, and Jack became desperate once he realized. "So this is how you bandits fight, is that it? You can't come straight for me, you gotta kill an innocent girl?" He punched buttons and entered code and continued, eerily calm and unnervingly, "You are endangering my baby girl. This is my vow: every friend, every child, every person you ever passed on the street. I'm gonna kill them all."

They destroyed the first Eridium injector, causing Angel to wail in pain. "Please, okay? Are you hearing me? Please don't kill my little girl." He pleaded with them, his voice wavering. I desperately wanted to help somehow, to reach out and touch him in a small gesture of empathy. I'd never seen him this distraught before. I'd rarely seen _anyone_ like this before. "I'll give you back my little captive here, just leave now and don't kill my baby girl." The second injector's shields were disabled. Jack flipped out his gun and held it to my head. I was legitimately a bit scared, given the state of agitation he was in.

"Jack, no," I pleaded nervously, "please."

"Do you assholes _WANT_ me to kill her? Because you're kind of forcing my hand, here. Don't you know what you're DOING?! Who cares about the goddamn key—you're gonna end the life of an innocent girl!"

The injector exploded, and more cries from Angel. It sent him into a rage, and he hauled back and hit me on the temple with his gun, sending me tumbling across the floor with a yelp. He turned his wrist at the last second so I hit his slightly less solid arm, but it still sent shockwaves through my eye sockets. I cowered on the floor while he pleaded with Angel. "Sweetheart, everything you could ever want is within these four walls! Do you have any idea how much I've sacrificed for you? The bandits I've killed, the people I've manipulated—everything I've done was to protect you! Angel, you can STOP this! I'll still forgive you, baby!" The third shield went down.

Dad? came Angel's voice over the ECHO.

"Yes, baby? What is it?" he asked, a glimmer of hope in his voice.

You're an asshole. She wailed as the last Eridium injector was destroyed, and Jack screamed her name, collapsing onto the floor a broken man. I shared in his anguish, despite the blow he'd given me. He held his face in his hands as he knelt, bent over and stifling sobs. He was no longer Handsome Jack, the untouchable legend of Hyperion, but a father mourning the loss of his daughter. After a moment of initial shock, he reverted to cold calculation and grabbed some kind of ring-like metal object, running across the room to his teleporter.

"Jack! Wait!" I called, scrambling up off the floor and slipping my hands from their bonds. He completely ignored me and punched in the coordinates with determination written all over his face, disappearing before I could reach him. Then I heard his voice over the comm system. I rushed over to it, watching the video feed. Roland fell to the ground, a bullet in the back of his head. Jack snatched up Lilith as she tried to rush him, snapping a control collar around her neck to inhibit her abilities.

What's that saying? Don't pick a fight with a man with nothing left to lose? I'm going to show you just how much _you_ have left to lose. Lilith, we've got a date to keep with the Warrior.

He disappeared from the screen, along with Lilith, but returned to me a few minutes later without her, having obviously sent her off somewhere to be held while she charged the vault key with her Siren powers. Jack staggered from the teleporter, making his way over to me, but couldn't seem to look me in the eyes as he stood a couple steps away, shoulders hunched. I wasn't sure what he was going to do. He just stared awkwardly at the floor. It made me really uneasy, him being awkward. He had always been so in control of everything. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I'll understand if you want to go," he began gloomily. "I promised not to hurt you, and…I..." he glanced down at his hand, clenching a fist as he trailed off.

After a moment, I closed the distance between us with a couple steps, hesitantly placing my hand on his chest. He finally looked up at me, surprised. "You've got me, Jack. For as long as you'll have me." His brow furrowed, awash with emotion, and he pulled me to him, wrapping me tightly in his arms and burying his face in my shoulder.

"You're all I've got now, darling. And I hit you," he said, lifting his head to inspect the side of my face, now reddened from earlier. "I'm so sorry."

"I'll be okay, Jack."

"But can you ever forgive me?" I looked at him, a little taken aback. Handsome Jack wanted _my_ forgiveness?

The door opened and Meg came in carrying some files. "I took the liberty of completing the vault—I mean, your bodyguard's new hire papers, sir. You'll both just need to sign them."

"Just leave them on the desk, Meg," he said flatly. He picked me up in his arms despite his wounded shoulder, walking past her to the elevator without even glancing in her direction.

"And her new quarters are ready, sir."

"Enough, Meg. My daughter was just...murdered...and Jill needs some rest."

"I'm so sorry for your loss, sir," she said, glaring at me as the doors opened. He didn't even bother to respond before the doors closed behind him.

A minute later he set me down on his familiar soft bed, and began to tenderly remove my torn clothing again. "I'm okay, really," I said gently, taking his hands in mine.

"No. I'll make it up to you. Or at least try to."

"Jack… don't you want to talk about what just happened? With Angel?"

"No, cupcake. I really don't."

"...Okay." I decided not to force him if he wasn't ready. He continued to remove my clothes. "Jack, I'm not really in the mood right now…" I said, assuming more sex would be how he 'made it up to me'.

"Heh, me neither, actually. Just relax," he assured me, removing everything but my panties. "Lie down and turn over." I followed his instructions, resting my head on my folded arms. He laid his strong, warm hands on my lower back, firmly but gently massaging my sore muscles.

I sighed contentedly, closing my eyes and smiling languidly. "Mmm...Jack, your hands are magic."

"Is it nice, kitten?"

"Ohhh yeah. It feels amazing. Don't stop."

"As you wish, darling."

"I noticed you've added a new pet name to your repertoire."

"Heh, did I? Nah, I always had that one."

"Mmhmm…" I said, letting it go. "Hey Jack? Will you just...talk to me? Tell me a story or something? I always like hearing your voice. It's sexy, and right now it's almost as soothing as your hands."

"A story? Like what?"

"I dunno, a nice one, not one where you scooped a guy's eyes out with a spoon and he went around bumping into stuff. Though that was a pretty funny one, I have to admit. I dunno, tell me a story about when you were a kid."

"Uh, no pumpkin, you don't want to hear those. Dad died when I was little, and Mom abandoned me with my abusive grandma. There _are_ no nice stories from when I was a kid."

"I'm sorry, Jack," I said, turning slightly to shoot him a sympathetic look.

"It's okay, kiddo. You didn't know." He cleared his throat. "How about the Space Vixens of Eden-6? That one's got something for everybody...action, sex, me being clever, sex…"

"Haha, sounds good."

"Okay. So Eden-6 has this sort of secret Amazonian culty-sorta thing populated only by the hottest women. Sounds awesome already, huh? And I mean, like, zero flaws on these ladies, and they could kill you with their thighs alone. So I happened to be in the area, making a small business transaction, when the Vixens go and raid the damn town I was in, not knowing they were all armed to the balls now having just bought a shipment of guns from me. Didn't take long before they gave up and ran away, but not before the local yokels captured five of them. They talked about what to do with them—you know, torture, murder, rape, whatever—but being the kind-hearted hero I am, I decided they were under my protection, since, well, I was kinda the reason they'd failed so miserably at their little raid anyway. And did I mention they were hot? So I hacked into their system and had them released, escaping along with them in the middle of the night. Oh, and I emptied their vaults for good measure. The Vixens were so impressed with my bravado, masculinity, and rockstar attitude that they all insisted on repaying their debt. Heh heh...So I slept with them. All of them. At the same time. Heh heh heh… Good times."

"All of them, Jack?" I said, somewhat incredulously.

" _All_ of them." I laughed a little, my eyes closed and nearly asleep from being so relaxed.

"That's quite the stamina you must have."

"Heh, you'll see," he replied softly. Jack pulled the blankets over me, leaning in to kiss my cheek. He ran his fingers through my hair and said, "I've got a few things to take care of upstairs, kitten. But I promise I'll be back soon."

"Jack? You won't go anywhere without me? I have to protect you," I mumbled wearily.

"I won't go anywhere. I'm just gonna fuck with those child-killing psychopaths for a bit over the ECHOnet, maybe send a few moonshots up their asses, and then I'll be back."

"Okay, I'll miss you."

"I'll just be a little bit," he said, getting up. He hit a button on his wrist. "Meg! I'm workin' late, so _you're_ workin' late."

But sir, I had plans! It's my birthday.

"Oh really? Well, that's wonderful! Happy birthday, Meg! Your gift is getting to spend more precious time waiting on me from your little room next to my office," he said, closing the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up alone hours later. Concerned, I threw on just enough clothing to cover up and took the elevator up to his office. When the doors opened, I found him standing with his arms crossed by the big windows lost deep in thought, a crystal glass of cognac in his hand and his grey jacket draped over a chair. "Jack?" I said softly, making him jump a bit anyway. "Everything alright?"

"Oh yeah, cupcake," he said, feigning confidence. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" I approached him and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, you know. The most excruciating way to kill those vault hunters, hair maintenance tips, and—"

"Angel?"

"...Yeah," he admitted after a few moments, hanging his head and inspecting his glass. I hugged his side, and he put an arm around me, tucking my shoulder under his arm. He was almost a whole head taller than me. "I… I couldn't protect her. All my wealth, and knowledge, and power… and I couldn't even protect my own baby girl." He pulled me tighter then with both arms, resting his chin on the top of my head.

"I'm sorry Jack. It's not your fault, though. You can't blame yourself. You did everything you could."

"I don't know." I wasn't sure what else to say. I figured words wouldn't do much to help him through his grief anyway, so I just held him for a long while, standing there in front of the giant window, surrounded by Pandora.

"Do you know where they are now, Jack?"

"Yeah. They're in the Arid Nexus."

"Where's that?"

He studied the planet's geography for a moment, then stooped down and pressed the side of his face to mine, pointing out a pale desert-looking area. "Right around here, in the Badlands."

"What do you think they're doing there?"

"Damned if I know, kiddo. Probably looking for more skags to fuck up the ass."

"Skags don't have assholes, though."

"I _know_ that, it's a figure of speech. Shut up." He nudged my chin playfully with his hand still holding his drink, which reminded him of his manners. "You want a drink, cupcake? I won't make it as strong as last time."

"No thanks, I'm good."

"Okay. Will you sit with me for a bit? I feel like there's something big coming and I could use someone to bounce ideas off of. Maybe you can give me some insight."

"Sure, I'll do my best," I said, curling up on the sofa beside him once he'd sprawled himself out on it. "Ooh, Jack, I have a very valuable piece of knowledge for you that could really turn the tides in this war."

"I'm all ears."

"So, you know all those New-U stations down on Pandora owned by Hyperion? Maybe you should remove the vault hunters' DNA from the system so they don't keep getting digistructed after they die."

"What?! You mean that actually happens?"

"Mmhm, I've died a bunch of times already, to be honest. And you probably should scan your DNA in there just in case, if you haven't already."

"Ohh ho ho, I'm going to enjoy peeling the skin off the idiot's face who overlooked _THAT_ little detail," he said, rubbing his palms together. "Thanks for the tip."

"You're welcome," I said, grinning at him. His mouth caught my eye and my thoughts began to wander. Doesn't take much, being around him. Mm, those lips. They were classically ideal, like they were stripped from a statue of Adonis himself.

"What'cha thinkin', kitten?" he asked, like he already knew the answer.

I sighed. "You wanna have that conversation about how frickin' perfect your lips are now?"

"I'd rather just show you," he smirked, setting his drink down and snatching me up in his arms.

"That'll do." I kissed him softly, then he took over and made use of his talented tongue. He allowed me to position myself more on top this time, and I took full advantage of it. As we kept our mouths busy, I unbuckled his vest and opened his long white dress shirt to reveal his yellow shirt, with its faded white Hyperion logo. "You've had this a long time, haven't you," I said, tracing my fingers along the letters.

"Yeah, it's my favorite shirt. It was the first one I got when I started working for Hyperion. They don't make them like this anymore. It's vintage."

"I like it." I ran my hands over his chest and down his stomach as he squirmed slightly beneath me. Exploiting his perpetually half-untucked shirt, I snuck my fingers underneath it and freed the rest from his belt, too. His skin was warm and smooth and I couldn't keep my hands off him, like he was magnetized. I noticed his abs seemed to tense whenever I got too close to his hip bone, which was left largely exposed since he liked to wear his pants so low. I threw my leg over him, sitting in his lap to get a more stable position to execute my plan and grinned villainously. "Are you ticklish, Jack?"

"What? No," he said, a little too adamantly. I wiggled my fingertips on his hip and he quickly grabbed my wrist, shooting me a playfully threatening expression.

"Oh really…" I got him good with the other hand, causing him to squirm violently, like ya do.

"Hey! Hey come on, don't make me—" he giggled uncontrollably, cutting himself off as he gasped for air.

"Don't make you what, Jack?" I taunted him, not letting up. In desperation, he pushed me off him and I fell to the floor laughing, dragging him down with me. He fought back, testing out various common ticklish spots and trying to keep me still by using his entire body to pin me beneath him.

Aaand Meg walked in, wielding a gun. " _This_? This is what was so important you had to make me stay late and miss my 29th birthday plans, _**JACK**_?!" She looked completely unhinged as she raised her pistol in our general direction.

Jack slowly got up off me, his hands casually in the air. "Come on, Meg...29? Really?" he said skeptically. I smacked his leg, and she shot a hole in his ceiling to prove her gravitas. "Meg, caaalm down, ahh pumpkin? I'll buy you something real nice. It'll be expensive, and shiny... I'll give you a whole 'nother vacation day, huh? Just put the gun down." He knelt on the floor now, and I gradually followed suit. I cursed myself for leaving my guns behind. Even my damn shields were still in Jack's bedroom.

"You treat me like _shit_ , Jack! You never called or said a single word to me about it after what we shared that night after the New Year's party, and now you've got the nerve to move on to...to fucking this _**VAULT HUNTER**_!"

"Heh heh, what are you talking about, Meg? Me and…haha... me and you never—" he chuckled, motioning back and forth between the two of them before being interrupted.

"You _don't_ even rem—" Meg fumed. She couldn't even finish her sentence, she was so furious. She narrowed her flaming eyes and raised her gun, taking aim. "Go to hell, _JACKASS_!"

I saw her finger tighten on the trigger, and without a thought flung myself in front of Jack. Two gunshots rang out, almost simultaneously. I heard a thud as Meg's body fell to the floor, having been shot by Jack's surprisingly quick draw. But he realized then what had happened, as I clung to his chest, wide-eyed. "No! No no no no, Jill, _no_!" he cried as he caught me in his arms and held me to him, rocking me back and forth. Dark foamy blood began to pool on the floor beneath me, and he kept looking at his hands, covered in red. I coughed, unable to breathe. Things seemed to be moving in slow-motion as I gripped his shirt in disbelief.

"Jack…" I said weakly, looking in his eyes, the edges of my vision beginning to close in.

"Just hang on, okay?" he begged me while feverishly punching a couple buttons on his wrist.

"Jack… I… love you," I managed to say, before my view completely went black.


	5. Chapter 5

I woke in his bedroom again. _That was a weird-ass dream_ , I thought. I tried to get up but the searing bolts of pain through my body kept me from trying again. _Okay, not a dream_. Jack suddenly appeared in my field of view, having noticed me stirring.

"Don't try to move, love." He held my hand between both of his.

My face brightened. "Jack…" I said sleepily, "you're okay…"

"I have you to thank for that," he said, smiling gratefully, but with a hint of melancholy. "The doctors say you'll be alright, but you'll be down and out for a while. You… you had a collapsed lung and a broken rib."

"Please tell me...these doctors...have real medical licenses," I joked.

"Heheh, they do," he chuckled. "Try not to talk, sweetheart. You should get some sleep."

"Don't leave, Jack." I began tearing up, my thoughts foggy from all the drugs. "I can't protect you...if you leave me behind."

"I won't leave. I'll be right here," he smiled, stroking my face with his thumb. "Now sleep." I closed my eyes again and drifted off.

* * *

When I awoke once more, I looked frantically around the room until my gaze settled on Jack, dozing beside me on top of the blankets, fully dressed in his gray pants and Hyperion shirt. I had all kinds of tubes and monitoring doodads stuck all over me, and everything ached, but I could already breathe noticeably better than I could the last time I was awake. I just layed there, happily watching his chest rise and fall with each breath, until I had to cough and he jolted up in bed, blinking. "Are you okay? Everything okay?" He still had one eye closed, and his hair was flat on one side and sticking up on the other. The sight of him actually looking disheveled brought the biggest grin to my face.

"Jack, your hair!"

"Huh?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"It's messed up!" I said, with as much excited enthusiasm as I could muster.

"Oh. You're okay though?"

"Yup. Sorry I woke you up."

"It's okay." He carefully snuggled up against me. "I wanted to ask you something anyway, when you were awake again."

"Yeah?" I replied, my interest piqued.

"Did you... really mean what you said? That you love me? Or was that just something you said because, like, that's what people say when they think they're about to die?"

"Well… I _did_ think I was gonna die. But I couldn't bear the thought of it without you knowing the truth." His brow wrinkled up at my words and he looked suspiciously like he could cry.

"Nobody's ever said—well, I mean, they've said it, but it was always flippantly, like during—uhh...—but you saved my life by voluntarily giving yours, and that's… that's something decidedly new to me. I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

"It's okay, Jack. I don't expect anything of you… but... it's there if you want it." He rested his face on my shoulder and wrapped himself around my arm.

"I wish I could hug you without breaking you, or accidentally disconnecting one of these stupid tubey things," he grumbled.

"Me too," I agreed. We lay there frustrated a few minutes longer.

"I love you, too," he said after a time.

"Really?" I grinned like an idiot.

"Yeah. Thank you. For saving my life, for being there when I needed you, for showing up on my proverbial doorstep… I didn't know how much I needed you until I almost lost you."

"It's okay, Jack. It'll take more than that to keep me from you."

"I hope you're right," he said ominously, his expression clouding over as his watch beeped. "Blake, talk to me."

They've almost reached the vault, sir.

"Thanks. Be right there." He hit the button again.

"What's wrong?"

He sighed. "Those Crimson Raider sonsofbitches. They've discovered the Warrior's location."

"Shit. Where is it?"

"Eridium Blight," he began, then paused, obviously not wanting to say what followed. "I'm gonna have to go and stop them myself, or everything I've worked towards for years will have been a waste."

"But...Jack…" I began, my brow knitted.

"I know, darling… you can't come with me. You're in no condition to fight."

"Jack… you said you wouldn't leave me," I protested, even though I knew he was right.

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't go if I didn't absolutely have to. I'll be alright. I _am_ the hero, you know."

"I know," I said smiling, then continued gravely. "Make sure you've got a good shield, okay? One that replenishes fast. And take **everything** you've got with you. Spare no expense, Jack. It's not a time to be stingy on the hardware. Go all out. I _need_ you to come back to me."

"I will." He lifted his head to look me in the eyes. "I promise." I pulled him to me with all my strength, to hell with all the bits of medical tech stuck to me. It made some urgent beeps, and a medbot popped in to check what was up. But I didn't let him go until he reluctantly tried to pull away, and then he kissed me, long and sad and desperately. "I love you," he said again, this time more confidently, looking in my eyes with his hand on my cheek.

"I love you too, Jack. Please be careful." He backed away, the medbot busily reconnecting a sensor and taking vitals.

I watched him grab his shirt, vest, and jacket and leave, every fiber of my being telling me I should be going with him. Then I was there alone with the robot, my hand resting on the spot he'd just occupied, lamenting greatly as his warmth quickly faded. Once the medbot finished checking me over, it rolled back to its post outside the bedroom door.

I lay there in silence for what seemed like an eternity, dire scenarios flooding my thoughts. Fucking great bodyguard I turned out to be. He's one man, and who knows how many they'll have. What if he needed me and I'm stuck here in this bed? What if he was hurt? I've failed him. What would I ever do if something happened to him? Go back to the Raiders, pretend he was as evil as they say, and join in their victorious revelry? How could I ever go back to that? He could be breathing his last right this very minute. Alone... _NO. I love him,_ I thought, _and as long as_ _ **I'm**_ _still alive, I'm going to do everything in my power to keep_ _ **him**_ _alive too_. _I'm going. I can't just let him die without even trying to save him._ I began ripping off sensors and took out needles, flipping off the covers. As I painfully sat up, the medbot entered again.

"Ma'am, please lie back down again, you should not be getting out of bed," it said, in an oddly polite female tone of voice.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Medbot."

"Handsome Jack has instructed me to tend to your care. I will be forced to give you a dose of tranquilizers if you do not comply."

"Listen, Medbot, what's your prime directive?"

"To serve and protect Handsome Jack, ma'am."

"Ah, good. I thought as much. Did you know, that by keeping me here, you are betraying that directive?"

"How so, ma'am?"

"I am the only one right now who can protect him. I have to go to him, and if you keep me from doing that, then through your inaction you will likely be causing the death of your master."

"But...Handsome Jack said—"

"Look, is it higher level in your programming to keep _me_ alive, or Handsome Jack?" I began to get frustrated.

"...Handsome Jack, ma'am."

"Good. Then help me get my things."

* * *

I anxiously stood in the elevator, leaning on Vera for support, but ready for a fight. I hoped I wasn't too late. When the doors opened into his office, I staggered over to his viewscreen and turned it on, searching for his bio-signature. The system found him and he came into view, losing a fight against Lilith in a big lava-filled cavern. I watched as he at last fell, wounded and splattered with blood from head to toe.

No, no, no... I can't die like this... not when I'm so close... and not at the hands of a filthy bandit! I could've saved this planet! I could have actually restored order! I wasn't supposed to die by the hands of a child-killing psychopath! You're a savage! You're a maniac! You are a bandit AND I AM THE GODDAMN _HERO_! Jack screamed from the ground he lay on, his voice all high-pitched and cracking. I had already made my way over to the teleporter, the pain in my chest giving way to desperation and fueled by adrenaline. Punching in the coordinates, I pulled out my pistol, ready for anything. A bright blue light blinded me, and a moment later I found myself in the same volcanic chamber from the viewscreen.

"This is for Roland, asshole," Lilith snarled, raising her gun.

" _ **LILITH!**_ This one's mine!" I screamed and she spun around as I stumbled over to stand beside her.

"Jill? Jesus, what the hell did he do to you?!" she said, looking me over, my clothes torn and tattered and covered in blood, bruises and cuts scattered all over.

"What the **hell** are you doing here?!" Jack shouted excitedly, trying to sit upright.

"Shut up, Jack! I've had enough of your friggin' voice! God, the torture and shit I can take, but the endless hours of having to listen to you drone on and _on_ … You _never_ shut up, you jackass!" He looked nervous and confused when I glanced at Lilith.

"He's all yours," she offered, stepping back and holstering her gun.

I ominously raised my pistol, taking aim. "You're damn right he is," I growled, his eyes growing wide. The look of anguish and betrayal on his face will forever be seared in my mind. But in a quick half-second, I twisted my arm around and shot Lilith in the face. She collapsed into a puddle on the ground, and there was silence as he took a minute to process it.

I struggled as I made my way over to him, kneeling down with much difficulty. "Jill… you should be home in bed," he said, reaching out to me.

"And you'd be lying here with a bullet in your pretty head if I hadn't come, so don't give me that."

"I thought for a minute there, that you really were going to kill me and had just been playing me the whole time."

"I know… I saw it on your face. I'm so sorry for that, Jack. And I hope you realize I didn't mean what I said, it was just to buy me time."

"I know, love," he crawled closer, resting his head on my lap. "Ugh, I want to just lie here for a while… rest my eyes…"

"No Jack, you're coming back with me. I'm not gonna let you die here. You're gonna be alright." I pulled him to me, wrapping my arms under his shoulders, and activated the teleporter.


	6. Epilogue

We sat together on his little leather couch in his office. We'd had it moved over to face the window after getting some much needed medical attention. We were both in rough shape, but wouldn't have missed this moment for the world. He was stretched out, with his arm around me, my hand on his leg.

"So… you and Meg, huh?" I said, watching his eyes reflecting the fiery glow from the planet.

"Heh. Apparently?" he shrugged.

"You really don't remember?"

"No. Though I suppose it'd explain why she's been acting kinda pissy at me for a while now."

"Haha, jeez Jack. Guess you made a much bigger impression on her than she did on you."

"Heh, please. You know I'm a stallion in the sheets," he said, his words dripping with self-confidence.

"Hahahaha...Jack, we never…" I teased him hard, imitating him the best I could.

"Oh come on, kitten! I rocked your world!" he said, getting agitated and defensive. I dropped the façade and patted his thigh.

"Yeah, you did. And you will again once we can both move without dying, I'm sure."

"Hm. Only if you ask nicely." He gave me a devilish but subdued smirk.

"You know, Jack… if this is going to work between us, everything can't always be your way. You might even enjoy yourself if you'd just trust me."

He smiled when he thought about it. "Alright, love. Next one's ladies' choice."

"It's a date then." I smiled at him, propping my head against his shoulder and carefully draping my arm across his stomach, and we both turned back to the window to watch Pandora burn.

 **THE END**


End file.
